There have been numerous articles in the press recently on topics relating to children and the early childcare and education sector, such as:
Are we living in a girls’ world?
As the recognition of the importance of outdoor play for all children, but particularly boys, grows, Early Childhood Ireland is recommending to all its members that they provide outdoor gear.
“The notion that it is raining is no longer an acceptable reason . . . not to go outside,” says Heeney. Parents have a part to play here, she adds, and need to “accept that if their children come home manky dirty, they have had a good day”.
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We tend to natter and gripe endlessly about income taxes, water charges, interest rates and property taxes — but childcare costs are the real financial bugbear for many parents.
All parents know that having children these days is an incredibly expensive business, but few of us realise that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reckons childcare costs here are the most expensive in the world.
High childcare costs are not some random act of God or set at will by creches. They are the direct result of Government policies which have been implemented by all the major parties over the past few decades.
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Is your child better off in a crèche or with a childminder?
Edel Kennedy asks the question plaguing every working parent’s mind To crèche or not to crèche; that is the question facing thousands of new parents every year. Mums and dads are assaulted with reams of research, comments from experts, and stories from friends and family when it comes to deciding which form of childcare is best for their little one.
Irene Gunning says “every crèche is as unique as the child itself” so the parent must find somewhere which suits their child.
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The five rules when choosing your childcare
While the price has got to be right, choosing the right crèche is of course about a lot more than just money. Irene Gunning, CEO of Early Childhood Ireland, says that by getting it right, you’ll give your child the best possible start.
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Eamon Delaney: Burton to the rescue again as she clarifies sick-pay law
Politicians need to make legislation clear to avoid worrying those affected, writes Eamon Delaney.
Well, thanks a lot, Joan. Last week we were seriously worried that the Government’s controversial proposed change in the sick-pay laws would have a major effect on the childcare sector.
This is because childcare facilities have a strict child-to-carer ratio, which has to be enforced. If someone goes sick they can’t just be covered for, they must be replaced. And they can’t just call in anyone: the childminder is a specialist, usually with police clearance to work with children.
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David McWilliams: Childcare costs hurt — but beware mortgage rate rise
The average woman here has her first child at 31. This means that the people we are talking about crippled with high childcare costs are the generation between 30 and 40, in the main.
These are exactly the same people that were bundled on to the property ladder in the final years of the “smash and grab” exercise known as the housing boom. Therefore, they are caught in a brace between the exorbitant cost of childcare and the collapse in house prices.
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Maeve Binchy on childhood reading
The Winnie the Pooh books were the ones I enjoyed most as a young child. My father used to read to me a lot until I started reading myself at the age of four or five. I was a very self-centred child and I never liked to hear a story unless I was in it myself.